FISHING NEWS: Chesapeake Bay Economics Focus of New Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Report

Outdoor recreation, natural resources generate billions of dollars, sustain local economies throughout Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Outdoor recreation in coastal areas of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia drives an economy valued at close to $4 billion per year and supports tens of thousands of jobs, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership disclosed in a report released last week.

“The Economics Associated with Natural Areas in the Delmarva Peninsula” analyzes the importance of outdoor recreation on the Delmarva Peninsula and related to the Chesapeake Bay. Highlights from the report include the following statistics:

• Outdoor recreationists such as boaters, hunters, anglers and cyclists annually spend $3.9 billion enjoying the Delmarva’s natural areas and support more than
  27,900 jobs.
• Hunting, fishing and wildlife watching on the Delmarva draw 1.6 million participants who spend more than $1.5 billion annually.
• Recreational boating contributes more than $1.3 billion in annual sales and supports 11,000-plus jobs that pay wages of more than $400 million. The region boasts 127,000 registered boats.
• Intact natural areas can increase adjacent home values by approximately 20 percent.

“The Delmarva Peninsula is a place where outdoor traditions run strong,” said Director of the TRCP Center for Agricultural and Private Lands Steve Kline, who runs the TRCP’s Chesapeake Bay initiative. “Waterfowl hunting in the fall and early winter gives way to spring gobbler hunting and fishing in the spring and summer, with hiking, cycling, camping and boating available virtually year round.”

The Delmarva Peninsula, which consists of the state of Delaware and the portions of Maryland and Virginia on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, serves as a recreational hub for major metropolitan areas such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Conducted by Southwick Associates, the TRCP report concludes that hunting and angling are critical economic engines and that, consequently, conserving key fish and wildlife habitat and enhancing public access are important to sustaining and growing regional economies.

“While decision makers can easily take these economic sectors for granted, the Delmarva’s outdoor recreation economy is inextricably linked to clean water, clean air, quality fish and wildlife habitat and public access,” asserted Kline, a seventh generation Marylander who lives on the Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore. “This report documents the precise impacts sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts have on the economies of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and can help ensure that our leaders actively sustain and enhance this outdoors-based economy.”

State leaders and business owners are speaking out in support of conserving the Chesapeake Bay’s natural resources and upholding the economic benefits they provide:

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell:
“For hundreds of years people have depended on the abundant wildlife and natural resources of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Today’s anglers, boaters, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts who call this rich and diverse area of the Old Dominion home help to fuel millions of dollars to the state’s revenue, create thousands of jobs and attract visitors from out of state eager to experience the best that the outdoors has to offer. Valuable resources such as these are worth protecting and will continue to improve the standard of living for all of Virginia’s citizens and visitors while greatly contributing to the economic health of the Commonwealth.”

Ed Kurowski, president of Gratitude Yachting Center in Rock Hall, Md.:
“Boating is a way of life on the Chesapeake Bay. This spring, as boaters around the Delmarva hit the water, we must remember that boating contributes billions to the regional economy. And whether they be recreational anglers or competitive sailors, boaters expect clean water, scenic vistas and healthy shorelines. Common-sense conservation and the boating economy go hand in hand, and businesses like Gratitude Yachting Center have a stake in ensuring that the Delmarva’s lands, waters, fish and wildlife are responsibly managed and sustained in the future.”

I was quoted as saying:
“The impact of recreational fishing on the Delmarva Peninsula is tremendous. Anglers stay in hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts; fill their tanks in their boats and trucks; eat at local restaurants; buy fishing tackle at local shops and hire guides to put them on the fish – all of this employing people across the region. Conservation and sound fisheries management isn’t just about the future of the resource; it holds the key to thousands of livelihoods and all of our identities.”

You can read the full report by clicking here.












Brandon
Chief Angler TidalFish.com
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